


Against All Odds

by SalazarsMistress



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Cheating, F/M, Hermione hides pregnancy from Draco, Hermione is a boss ass bitch, Post-Hogwarts, Powerful Hermione, Secret pregnancy, but not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-13
Updated: 2018-06-14
Packaged: 2019-05-21 17:13:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14919515
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SalazarsMistress/pseuds/SalazarsMistress
Summary: Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy return to Hogwarts to finish their Seventh Year. Against all odds, they form a friendship that blossoms into something more. Just as they were about to graduate, Hermione falls pregnant, and Draco gets caught being unfaithful. But not everything is as it seems. Hermione runs away; leaving Draco wondering what he did wrong. Dramione. AU





	1. Chapter 1

_Prologue_

* * *

 

Despite being offered a job in the Ministry, Hermione was determined to finish her education. Whilst Harry and Ron began their Auror training, Hermione returned to Hogwarts. It didn't come as a surprise to her when only a select few of her classmates returned. Many of them were still grieving the loved ones they lost during the war. Hermione was too, but she figured throwing herself into school would distract her from the pain she still felt.

When she wasn't in class, she was in the library; throwing herself into her studies. After establishing a routine for herself, Hermione was beginning to get used to the fact that she was alone.

She was thrown off guard when Professor Snape partnered her up with Draco Malfoy in Potions. As a Potions Master, Snape fortunately had a cure for snake venom on him when Nagini launched her attack. Unlike many others, he managed to survive the war.

As for Draco, after speaking on his behalf during his trial, there was no longer any bad-blood between him and the Golden Trio. However, despite accepting his slew of apologies, Hermione and Draco were not friends.

They had an understanding.

Hermione may have offered him her forgiveness, but Draco was aware that it wasn’t synonymous to friendship. He respectfully kept his distance, at first, only talking to her regarding their Potions assignments.

But after spending most days together in the library, and unintentionally getting to know each other, Draco no longer knew where they stood.

He eventually invited her to eat with his friends at the Slytherin table. Unlike the majority of her house-mates, some of Draco's had actually returned to Hogwarts. Hermione politely declined the offer at first, but Draco remained persistent, and continued to ask her.

She eventually gave in, and ever since that day, she never ate alone again. Most of Draco's house-mates were understanding when they saw the Gryffindor sitting with them during meals, but others weren't as accepting.

Draco's small group of friends slowly accepted Hermione into their fold, while others continued to disapprove in the shadows.

Instead of spending her weekends in the library like she always did, Hermione found herself being dragged to Hogsmeade by Draco. At first, they went with Blaise Zabini or Theodore Nott, but as weeks went by, Hermione and Draco began going to Hogsmeade as a duo.

After weeks of rigorous Auror training, Harry and Ron finally managed to take time off to visit Hermione during a Hogsmeade weekend. They were taken aback when Hermione met them at Three Broomsticks with Draco Malfoy in tow.

Through her letters, Hermione had explained to them that she had grown close to Draco, but they hadn't taken her seriously.

Despite being uncomfortable with the idea of Hermione being friends with Malfoy, her boys were understanding of their newly-formed friendship. Harry even pulled Draco aside to thank him for keeping Hermione company while they were off training to be Aurors. It took Ron awhile to come around, but that was to be expected. Harry and Ron still harbored a strong dislike for the Malfoy heir, but sooner than later, he began to grow on them as he continued to accompany Hermione whenever they visited.

It became clear to the boys that Hermione and Draco had grown quite close. They saw how Draco looked at her when she wasn't looking; how the corners of his lips would slightly turn up whenever Hermione laughed. The look of adoration in his face whenever she flashed him her bright smile. They saw how much of a gentleman Draco was when it came to Hermione; offering up his cloak during a cold winter stroll throughout the village, offering to refill her butterbeer when he saw how much she wanted to keep talking with her boys, buying her favorite treats at Honeydukes when she ran out of galleons, and other things too nauseatingly sweet to mention.

It was sickening really. Draco Malfoy had a soft side? His ancestors were rolling in their graves.

Unlike his already dead Malfoy relatives, his parents were surprisingly more accepting of Draco's recent friendship with the Muggle-born witch. At first, Draco wrote in detail how things never seemed to change, and that she was bossy and infuriating as usual.

Narcissa and Lucius were more amused than angry.

They quite enjoyed the fact that some girl had their son so riled up. His parents soon noticed a change of tone in their son's letters. Instead of complaining about Hermione, Draco spoke of his fondness for the witch; her bravery, brains, and beauty.

However, unlike others around them, Hermione and Draco remained clueless about the change in their relationship. It wasn't until Harry had pointed it out during one of their visits that Draco finally began to realize his newfound feelings for Hermione.

It was when Hermione had run off to accompany Ron to Honeydukes, leaving Harry and Draco alone in Three Broomsticks, that Harry threatened to hurt Draco if he broke Hermione's heart. Draco was taken aback, and argued that he only saw Hermione as a friend.

Hermione and Ron had come back from Honeydukes, and wondered why Harry was laughing in Draco's face. But when they asked, Harry just continued to laugh as Draco's new revelation left him speechless.

Confident that Hermione would never feel the same way about him, Draco hid his true feelings from her.

He was doing a pretty good job at it--that is until they got into another heated argument. He had accidentally added too much lacewing flies to their potion. To be fair, Hermione was distracting him. Snape had given them an Exceeds Expectations, but Hermione wanted an Outstanding.

They were walking down the corridor as Hermione continued to ramble on about how he should pay more attention in class. She was taken by surprise when Draco had dragged her inside a hidden nook inside the wall, and snogged her senseless.

Kissing her, Draco reasoned, was the only effective way to shut her up. After thoroughly snogging her, Draco placed the blame on her, saying he couldn't concentrate whenever she was around.

Hermione blushed, and rosiness of her cheeks made Draco snog her even more.

Although their friends and family were supportive of their relationship, there were others who weren’t so keen at their blatant display of inter-house relations.

Most of their classmates and professors watched them with amusement, but others were seething with jealousy.

Hermione and Draco were quite besotted with each other--it was clear to anyone who saw them together. Hermione was never seen walking the corridors alone as Draco always walked by her side, carrying her book bag as her dutiful boyfriend.

Whenever the weather was nice out, the couple was always seen under their designated tree by the lake. Sometimes Hermione would be reading, and Draco would just be watching her. Other times, Hermione could be seen playing with Draco's golden-white locks with her back against the tree, and his head laying on her lap.

However, when the weather was too cold to bear, Hermione and Draco snuck off to the Room of Requirement, and talked for hours in front of the fireplace that the room had provided them with. Sometimes, they even had a habit of eating dinner in there too.

Despite their new-found adoration for one other, they still argued. Quite often. Many began to suspect that Draco would purposely get her riled up because making up was always the best part of their arguments.

And they weren't wrong.

After every fight, Draco dragged her to their special room on the seventh floor, and proceeded to show his girlfriend just how sorry he truly was.

All was well.

The day before graduation, Draco went to Headmistress McGonagall to ask for permission to visit his family vaults at Gringotts.

He was gone for majority of the day, and this didn't go unnoticed by Pansy and her minions. It was then that Pansy decided to go through with her plan to break the couple up.

She somehow managed to convince Marcus Flint to drink Polyjuice to disguise himself as Draco. While the real Draco was away at Diagon Alley, Pansy’s plan was put in motion.

Knowing that Hermione was going to be in the library, Pansy dragged Flint there, and proceeded to snog him against the stack of books. But to the unknowing passerby, it appeared that she was snogging Draco.

The devoted boyfriend of Hermione Granger.

Draco came back later in the day, with a ring safely tucked inside his trouser pockets. He was going to propose to Hermione after their graduation ceremony.

But Hermione was nowhere to be found.

When Harry and Ron suspiciously hadn't shown up to the graduation ceremony either, Draco deduced that they knew of his girlfriend’s whereabouts.

He owled them relentlessly; begged them to tell him where Hermione had gone, and what he had done wrong to warrant this silent treatment.

Draco waited months for a reply, but it never came.

As he drowned his sorrows in Firewhisky, Hermione was hiding out in Grimmauld Place.  
After finding Draco being unfaithful to her, she had taken solace in the Headmistress's office, begging her to let Hermione graduate a day early.

After finding out that Hermione was with child, the Headmistress reluctantly let her leave, knowing that the stress for the mother-to-be was not good for the baby.

Instead of asking questions, McGonagall handed her the pot of Floo Powder, and promised to have her belongings sent to wherever she was going.

Harry welcomed her with open arms, but he hoped it was under better circumstances. She told him about her pregnancy, and about Draco's unfaithfulness.

Hermione begged her friends not to retaliate or reply to any of his letters, but they didn’t listened.

After months of listening to Hermione cry herself to sleep, Harry had sent Draco an owl.

You know what you did, and for that, you're going to pay. Pray to Merlin that we don't ever run into each other because I'm going to break you...like you broke her.

Draco had balled up the letter in his fist, hurling the glass of Firewhisky onto the wall. His mum came into the room, and held her little boy as he wept in her arms.

"Mum, I don't bloody know what I did." He cried out in frustration.

* * *

 

It was snowing outside when Hermione's water broke. Knowing that going to St. Mungo's was going to cause a scene, Hermione decided on a home birth.

After enduring hours of painful labour, Hermione gave birth to a beautiful blonde baby girl.

Lyra Sophia Granger.


	2. Chapter 2

_The Future Mrs. Draco Lucius Malfoy_

* * *

 After receiving an invitation from his parents, asking him to meet them in his father's study, Draco Malfoy regretfully abandoned the bottle of Firewhisky he was about to consume.

Immediately after entering the threshold, Draco could sense the urgency of the situation. He took his place in the black leather armchair, across from where his parents sat.

His mother stared at him with a look of concern, while his father's face remained stoic and difficult to read.

There was a moment of silence that Draco found unbearable. But as he was about to inquire the true nature of the meeting, his father spoke up.

"As you are well-aware, you turn 21 years of age in a couple of months," his father began. "Your grandfather's will states that you have to marry before then in order to receive your inheritance," he informed his son.

Draco's hand unconsciously traveled to his trouser pockets, where he kept the ring intended for Hermione.

"Darling…" Narcissa spoke up, moving forward to take Draco's hand in hers. "It pains me to see you suffering like this. It's been so long since she left you. I think, perhaps, it’s time to move on," his mother encouraged.

 Draco kept silent as he processed what his parents had just told him.

 Since Hermione left him, he spent every day drowning his sorrows in any alcohol he could get his hands on. His parents watched as he fell dependent on the burning sensation of Firewhisky and other concoctions to distract him from the pain he felt in his heart.

 "After you wrote to us about your plan to propose to that Granger girl, we broke off your marriage arrangement with the Pansy Parkinson," Lucius said. "But if you wish, it is not too late to procure another arrangement for you," he continued.

Without his inheritance from his grandfather, Draco was still exceedingly wealthy. He knew that he didn't _have to_ marry, but as much as it pained him to marry anyone other than Hermione, Draco knew his mum was right, and that it was time for him to move on.

For the first time since entering the room, Draco spoke up, "Do what you must. I don’t care anymore.”

Soon after that, he excused himself so he could reunite with the bottle of Firewhisky he left in his room.

* * *

 The following day, news of Draco's engagement to Pansy Parkinson was plastered all over the front pages of the Daily Prophet.

_THE FUTURE MRS. DRACO LUCIUS MALFOY_

_Pansy Parkinson, a pure-blood witch, has won the heart of Draco Malfoy. As two of the most prominent members of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, the union between the Parkinsons and Malfoys is a social event that every pure-blood family is hoping to get an invite to. Sources close to the couple have stated that their impending nuptials have been in the works since they were children. The Parkinsons have expressed their excitement regarding the upcoming marriage, but the Malfoy family could not be reached for a comment._

  _(More on page six)_  

As a reluctant subscriber to the Daily Prophet, it wasn't long before Hermione Granger caught wind of the news. She was in the middle of preparing breakfast for Harry and herself when an owl swooped in to deliver the morning paper.

When Harry Potter walked in to the kitchen with his god-child, Lyra, securely in his arms, he found Hermione slumped on the floor. The newspaper was thrown across the room, and his best friend was overcome with tears.

Placing Lyra in her high-chair, Harry moved to engulf his best friend in a comforting hug.

"What's wrong, 'Mione?" Harry asked her.

"He's marrying _her_ ," Hermione cried out.

Harry accio'd the newspaper in his hand to see who his best friend was talking about. By the time he was done reading the headline, he was seething with anger.

"Hermione, he's not worth it. You have to stay strong for your daughter," he reminded her.

" _Oh god,_ " she exclaimed. "To think I was actually planning to tell him about Lyra. He can't know Harry. I don't want Pansy in my daughter's life. Promise me that they'll never find out about her. Promise me, please," Hermione begged.

"Hermione…" Growing up as an orphan, Harry wasn't comfortable with the idea of his god-child growing up without her father. "Don't you think Lyra deserves to have a father figure in her life? Who's going to ward off all her future suitors? Who's going to teach her how to fly? We both know how frightened you are when it comes to handling a broom," he tried to reason with her.

"She'll have _you,_ " she told him. "And she'll have Ron, and not to mention the Twins. Knowing Fred and George, they'll have her pranking as soon as she's able to walk,"

Hermione got herself off the floor, and made her way to her daughter.

She cradled her daughter in her arms, her tears now a thing of the past.

"You're right. We'll chase all the boys away," Harry smiled. "Won't we, Lyra?" The little girl giggled as her Godfather tapped her on her button nose.

When the Weasleys found out about Hermione's pregnancy, they were polite enough not to ask any questions. And when Lyra was born, baring a close resemblance to the Malfoys, it wasn’t long before they realized who the father was. Despite uncovering the truth of Lyra's parentage, the Weasleys remained by her side nonetheless.

Ron was quite disgusted to find out his best friend had procreated with a Malfoy, but as soon as he saw how happy the little girl made Hermione, Ron set his disgust aside, and learned to adore Lyra like the rest of his family had done.

Remembering what had brought on the topic of their conversation, Hermione turned to Harry and said, "I think it's time for Lyra and me to move out," she suggested.

With Harry's insistence, Hermione and her daughter had been living in 12 Grimmauld Place ever since Hermione gave birth.

"Where would you go?" Harry asked.

"I've been offered a job in the French Ministry of Magic," she confessed. "They've offered me the position of Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation." The thought of leaving her friends, and moving to another country scared Hermione, but she knew that if she stayed, the likelihood of running into Draco was too high for her to risk.

As if reading her thoughts, Harry voiced his opinion, "France? Hermione, you know you can have any job you want in our Ministry. _Here._ Where you belong," he reasoned with her.

"If we stay here, Draco will find out about Lyra, and I can't let that happen," she explained. "Besides, we'll connect our Floo Networks so you can visit us anytime," Hermione assured him.

* * *

 "Hermione! Where do you want Lyra's crib?" Ron shouted from upstairs.

Using what was left of her savings and the stipend given to her by the Ministry for her efforts during the war, Hermione purchased a modest cottage in the French countryside. She accepted the job offer at the French Ministry of Magic, and they'd given her time to settle down before starting the job.

"The first room on the right!" Hermione instructed.

Keeping true to her word, Hermione connected her Floo to Grimmauld Place and the Burrow. For the past week and a half, Harry, Ron, and other members of the Weasley family had been Floo-ing back in forth to help Hermione and Lyra move into their new home.

* * *

 "Thank you so much for offering to take care of her, Mrs. Weasley. I'll be back at five to pick her up," Hermione said as she handed off her daughter to the Weasley matriarch.

"It's no problem, dearie," Molly smiled at her, "She'll keep me company while Arthur and the kids are at work. It gets quite lonely here at the Burrow," she told the young witch.

Hermione stepped forward and gave her daughter a soft kiss on her head. "Be good to Nana Molly, okay Lyra?"

Lyra's responded by babbling incoherent words at her mother.

Taking a handful of Floo powder in her hand, Hermione Floo-ed to the French Ministry of Magic.

* * *

"As Deputy Head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation, your job is to meet with diplomats from other countries and discuss standards for trade, create regulations and such." Hermione listened as her boss rambled on about her duties as Deputy Head.

As soon as she stepped foot into the Ministry, she was immediately whisked away and taken to the fifth level, where her department was.

Introductions were made, and Hermione silently thanked her parents for teaching her how to speak French at a young age.

Hermione quickly made her way to her office after her personal assistant informed her of her meeting with the diplomat from the Italian Ministry of Magic.

They were set to discuss trade regulations between their two countries. When Hermione opened the door to her office, she was not expecting to see a familiar face.

"Granger?" The man asked, rising out of his seat.

"Blaise Zabini?" Hermione gasped shockingly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AUTHOR'S NOTE: PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU GUYS THINK ! DON'T BE AFRAID TO GIVE ME ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT YOU'D LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN, OR ANY CONCERNS YOU MIGHT HAVE. THANK YOU FOR READING!


	3. Don't Make Me Regret This

**4 years later**

* * *

 

"How’s your wife?" Lucius asked his son.

"Still spending all of my money," Draco sneered.

“You know what I mean,” his father sighed, gulping down some Ogden’s.

“She’s  _ still _ not with child,” Draco answered monotonously. 

It wasn't for the lack of trying. Draco rarely touched his wife, but when he did, he made sure she was at her most fertile. They didn’t even share a bedroom. 

The Prophet would have a field day if they found out. 

Pansy wasn’t happy about the arrangement, to say the least. But she got to boast about being with  _ the _ Draco Malfoy, the only heir to the Malfoy fortune, so she didn’t really have room to complain. She took whatever he was willing to give her, even if that meant he only only fucked her once a month to try and get her pregnant.

As long as they kept up the appearances of being a happily married couple in public, they didn’t have a problem.

It didn’t even matter that he received his inheritance from his late grandfather; his new wife spent most of it anyways. She had a knack for buying things she didn’t need--very  _ expensive _ things. 

Whether it was her way of trying to get his attention or to make up for his _lack_ _of_ attention, Draco didn’t care. In fact, he didn’t care about a lot of things nowadays.

"I don't understand. It's been four years," his mother voiced, sounding deeply concerned.

"Four very long years," Draco drawled under his breath.

The Malfoys were in the garden of their large estate, having their weekly Sunday brunch. Pansy was invited of course, but she stopped coming a long time ago--claiming she’d rather spend the day with her girl friends. Draco didn’t complain; the less she was around him, the better.

Lucius rolled his eyes, having heard what his son had said. "What did the Healers say?" He asked.

"They found nothing wrong with the either of us; insisted we should just keep trying," Draco supplied.

"If she can't provide you with an heir, perhaps...it's best we terminate your marriage," Lucius suggested, and Narcissa nodded in the agreement.

"I've been waiting for you to say that," Draco smirked, sitting up with newly-found interest.

He'd been trying to escape his love-less marriage since the day he muttered the words, "I do." 

Draco never should've married her, he knew that from that start, but he was grieving the loss of Hermione.

And grief made him do stupid things.

"I'll get in contact with her father, and see what we can arrange," his father said indifferently.

"I don't want her getting any of  _ my  _ money," Draco insisted. "She doesn't deserve any of it. All she does is spend it, while I'm the one busy earning it," he grumbled.

"We'll make sure she doesn't get a single sickle, darling," Narcissa assured him.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to celebrate the end of my marriage," Draco smiled as he apparated out of his family home.

* * *

 

"Have dinner with me?" Blaise smirked.

"You can keep asking, but my answer will always be  _ no, _ " Hermione laughed at her friend's antics.

Feeling disinterested with her job in the French Ministry after just two years of working there, Hermione resigned, and started a business. She didn’t have the sufficient funds to do so at first, but then Blaise came along, and decided to invest in her recently formed company. 

They’ve been business partners ever since.

Within two years’ time, Hermione's company grew to be one of the biggest Potions distributor in all of Europe. 

"Tell me again why you refuse to open a branch in England? It’s one of our largest untapped market!" Blaise inquired.

"You know  _ why, _ " she rolled her eyes. 

They’d had this exact conversation multiple times before throughout their brief partnership. And Hermione knew Blaise was right, but she still refused to budge. They had a branch in every significant European country--France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, and many more. But opening a branch in England was too big of a risk for Hermione. They still conducted business in England, but only with the British Ministry as their private contractor. And Blaise handled most of it anyways, so Hermione couldn’t care less.

"More like you know  _ who,"  _ he said accusingly. "You've been living in France for four years! When are you going to come to your senses, and come home to England?" He asked. 

"I like it here in France! And--,”  _ And so does Lyra _ , she was going to say.  “And according to our accountant, I make about 25,000 galleons  _ every hour _ . We clearly don't need to open another branch in England," Hermione didn't want to sound like she was gloating, but she wanted Blaise off her back. “We’re doing more than fine!” 

"You could be making so much more if you stop being so stubborn!" He informed her.

He was right, of course, but none of that mattered to her. She was now one of the wealthiest witches in Europe; her wealth rivaling even the most affluent Pureblood families. 

She didn't want nor need any more.

"Leave it alone, I'm done talking about this," she told him, wanting to end the conversation.

"No! What are you so bloody afraid of?" He challenged. "Is it Draco?” He paused, “Why are you _so_ bloody scared of running into him?" 

Her mind went straight to her daughter, Lyra. Blaise didn't know about her. Hermione was good at keeping secrets. She knew that if he found out, he would go running to Draco. Despite growing close to him over the last four years, his bond with Draco ran deeper than his short friendship with Hermione. 

Her immediate response was to laugh, “Says the man who still has yet to tell him you’re working with his bloody ex-girlfriend,” she crossed her arms. “Between the two of us, it looks like I’m not the only one afraid,” she raised her brows in protest. 

“Who I do business is none of his concern,” Blaise drawled, “And plus...you're the one who left him…" He continued, "I watched him fall apart because of you," he accused, his true loyalty floating to the surface.

"Yes, because marrying another woman is the perfect example of  _ falling apart _ ," she laughed bitterly.

She wanted to tell Draco about Lyra. She truly did. 

But she was hurt by his unfaithfulness. His infidelity wasn't enough to keep her from telling him about her pregnancy, that much was true. He deserved to know the truth. 

But then he went off and married Pansy Parkinson.

He married the woman who made Hermione's life a living hell during their time at Hogwarts. 

With Draco, it was always verbal assaults, and those were easy to forgive. He atoned for his mistakes by saving them during the War, and being there for Hermione when she was all alone.

With Pansy, it got  _ nasty _ , and Hermione was the lucky recipient of all her vicious attacks. She was a bully. And Hermione didn't want that  _ monster  _ anywhere near her daughter.

Even if it meant keeping Lyra away from her father.

"If you still kept a subscription to the Daily Prophet, you'd know that Draco divorced her," Blaise supplied.

Hermione laughed. 

So? 

Was she supposed to go running back to him now because he left his wife? Not bloody likely.

"I don't care," she almost hissed at him.

"Open a branch in England, Granger," he tried one last time. "Go home to Potter and Weasley," he insisted. "Stop being such a  _ coward. _ " Hermione winced at his last words. 

She was a Gryffindor; calling her a coward was offensive, especially after everything she’s gone through.

"I am not a coward. Take that back," she spit at him angrily. 

"You've been living in your own little French bubble, away from all your friends and family. And all because of what? A boy!" He shouted in frustration.

She hated that he was right. Draco drove her away from all her friends and family. She was acting like a stupid little girl, and Hermione Granger was anything but that.

She found the cure for Lycanthropy for Merlin's sake! She was a successful, single mother who was rich beyond her wildest dreams. 

Hearing that Draco divorced his wife was making Hermione rethink her decision.

Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if she were to relocate to England. That wicked witch was out of Draco's life, so Hermione no longer had any reason to fear for her daughter's safety.

Maybe it was time to finally go home.

"If you can get the Minister to sign off on a distributing and business license, then England is ours for the taking," Hermione said.

"No problem. You know Shacklebolt worships the ground you walk on," Blaise smirked. He couldn't believe she was agreeing to this. Potter and Weasley owed him big time.

"I also want our headquarters moved to Diagon Alley." That way, Hermione didn't have to keep traveling back and forth to France. Opening a new branch always required her utmost attention.

"Consider it done." Blaise said.

"Don't make me regret this, Zabini," she sighed.

"Trust me, love. It'll be the best decision you ever make," he winked flirtatiously.

* * *

 

Hermione stepped out of the fireplace and was immediately assaulted by a tiny set of arms wrapping themselves around her legs.

"Lyra, darling! Mummy missed you so much," she cooed as she picked her daughter up and placed her on her hips. "Did you behave for Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny?" Hermione asked, stroking her little girl's cheeks in the process.

Lyra nodded and wrapped her small arms around Hermione's neck. "Missed you, mummy," she mumbled, burying her head deeper into the crook of her mother's neck. "James keeps eating my hair. We go home!" Her little girl whined.

James was Harry and Ginny's three-year old son. When Lyra wasn't at the Burrow, she was at Grimmauld Place. The little girl had a slew of caretakers in her wake for which Hermione was eternally grateful. 

"Shacklebolt just told me." Hermione looked up, and saw Harry had stepped into the room. "Is it true?" He questioned, "Are you really moving back?" Hope was evident in his voice.

Hermione slowly nodded, "I wanted to tell you, but I was waiting until everything was finalized," she smiled at him.

Harry moved to give her a hug, but the little girl in her arms protested. "No, Uncle Harry! Mummy mine! Wait turn," Lyra pouted.

The duo laughed. They were used to how territorial Lyra got when it came to Hermione.

At just four years old, Hermione's daughter was bright for her age. But does that really come as a surprise?

"Where are you two going to live? You know you're always welcome here." Harry offered.

"I already have a place in mind, but thank you Harry. You've been too kind," she smiled fondly.

"As your best friend, and Godfather to this little monkey, it's my job to look after you," Harry declared as he tickled Lyra playfully, "Isn't that right, pumpkin?" And just like that, the room was suddenly filled with her bell-like laughter.

Hermione placed Lyra down on the floor, "Why don't you head to the kitchen and see if Aunt Ginny can give you a treat before we go home?" She suggested, urging her daughter in the direction of the kitchen.

Once Lyra was out of the room, the atmosphere grew serious. "Are you sure about this, Hermione?" Harry asked. "If you move back, Malfoy will find out sooner or later," he reminded her.

"Pansy's out of his life. I'm ready. I want to come home," she confessed.

"I'm so glad. I know we see each other quite often, but it's not the same as having you here," he told her.

"I just hope Lyra won't have a hard time with the move," she muttered worriedly.

"Is she still asking questions?" Harry wondered.

"She wants to know why James has a daddy, and she doesn't." Hermione let out a sigh of frustration. She was hoping to avoid these types of questions for at least a few more years. But unfortunately for her, she was gifted with an overly perceptive and curious child.

"What have you been telling her?" He asked.

"That he's away on business," she admitted sheepishly. "I'll tell her eventually. I just don't want her to get hurt. What if he doesn't want anything to do with her?"

Lyra then chose that time to walk into the room.

"Daddy doesn't want me?" She cried softly, and Hermione's heart broke.

"Oh pumpkin. Of course, your daddy wants you. He loves you." She kneeled next to her daughter and enveloped her in a hug. "He just can't be here right now."

"Je veux mon papa! À présent!" Lyra cried.

_ I want my daddy! Now! _

 

"Hush, darling. I'll tell you what," Hermione began, "Mummy has to go to Diagon Alley tomorrow. The place with all the bright shops you saw in the pictures. And I need a little helper," she coaxed.

 

"Me, mummy? Me be your little helper," Lyra begged.

 

"If you promise to behave, I'll let you go into your Uncles' joke shop, and you can pick out anything you want, okay?" Fred and George always knew how to cheer Lyra up. She was hoping they could keep her distracted while she handled business with Blaise.

 

"Oui, je promets!" Lyra promised.  _ Yes, I promise! _  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: What do you guys think? I’d love it if you can check out my other fanfictions! Thanks for reading! x
> 
> CONVERSION:
> 
> 25,000 Galleons= $166,000 or £123,250 or €139,500


End file.
